Alexander Butterfield, a former White House adviser who became famous for revealing the existence of the secret audio recording system of US President Richard Nixon, has died at the age of 99.
His death was confirmed by his wife, Kim Butterfield, to the Washington Post and the New York Times. According to these media outlets, he died at his home in La Jolla, near San Diego, about a month before his 100th birthday. The cause of death was not specified.
Alexander Butterfield entered American political history when he revealed, during a 1973 congressional hearing, the existence of a secret recording system installed in the Oval Office. These recordings would provide crucial evidence in the investigation into the Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.
Butterfield's revelations triggered a major legal battle over presidential immunity and access to the White House audio tapes. The recordings ultimately became the "irrefutable proof" of Nixon's involvement in the attempt to cover up the scandal.
Born in Pensacola, Florida, and raised in California, Butterfield studied at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He enlisted in the US Air Force in 1948 and served as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, commanding a squadron of tactical reconnaissance aircraft.
Close to HR Haldeman, Nixon's chief of staff and former college classmate, he joined the White House as a presidential aide between 1969 and 1973. After his time in the administration, he notably headed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Despite his pivotal role in American political history, Butterfield later confided that he disliked being reduced to "the man who leaked the recordings," believing that this image gave the impression that he had acted with enthusiasm, when in fact he had simply been answering questions from Congressional investigators.
